Former Priest Accused Of Fondling Boy

A retired Catholic priest was charged Tuesday by federal prosecutors with fondling a 12-year-old boy last year on a cruise ship based in Port Canaveral.

Arthur Robert Maurer of Baltimore, 71, was freed on his own recognizance so he could enter a treatment center near Toronto, Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Colleton said.

Maurer was charged with fondling the boy on Aug. 3, 1992, on the cruise ship Atlantic. Because the supposed assault took place on the high seas and in U.S. territorial waters, Maurer was charged in federal court in Orlando. He faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Maurer's attorney, Mark Fromang, declined to comment on the case except to say Maurer will change his not guilty plea within a few weeks.

A plea agreement filed in the case states that Maurer has admitted pulling down the 12-year-old's pants and touching him. The youth later reported the incident to his parents and authorities. Maurer is cooperating with FBI agents on the case.

Colleton said the delay in filing the case resulted from time required to investigate Maurer's background and negotiations between both sides.

Court records list addresses for Maurer in Houston and Baltimore, where he lives in a retirement home for priests. Catholic Diocese officials in both cities said they had no record of Maurer.

The Canadian treatment center, called Southdown, counsels clergy members for psychological, emotional and addiction problems, a spokesman said. About 98 percent of the patients are Catholic clergy and most patients stay for an average of six months, a spokesman for the center said.